Studio model
A studio model is a type of miniature used in he Star Trek series and movies to represent various objects, craft or ships. "Hero" models represent the best miniatures, used for beauty shots and close angles. There are typically the largest and best made and detailed models. "Guest" miniatures were often made more simply and cheaply. In many cases, they were repainted or modified to be used again and again. In some cases footage of a model would be reused as a stock element, and simply referred to as a different ship. Time and cost considerations were the primary reason for such re-use. According to model maker Greg Jein, in an interview appearing in the TNG Season 3 DVD special features, the art department typically had three to four weeks to design and create each model – sometimes less. Although the term "studio model" traditionally has been used to refer to physical miniatures, the advent of CGI in the 1990's (most notably thanks to the series Babylon 5), meant that the definition had to be expanded to include CGI models. Study Model A study model is behind-the-scenes nomenclature for a rough miniature built to study how a particular design might look in three dimensions. Study models can be extremely crude, sometimes made of illustration or foam core board, or sometimes cobbled together from found objects, or sculpted from foam or other substances. Often crudely detailed, they are not meant to be used in actual production, but to evaluate a design from all angles before moving forward with or scrapping the design. However they can be detailed enough for them to occasionally end up on camera when there is need for such a design to appear in the background of a shot where its limitations will not be apparent. Study models are models normally in the end leading up to studio models. Some study models made it unto the screen thereby becoming studio models into their own, like the Nebula class and the New Orleans class. Kitbash The term "kitbash" is a behind the scenes term used to describe a ship or a station created by the production staff from already existing parts of a different ship or station. The vast majority of ships at the Battle of Wolf 359, in , and the Surplus Depot Z15, in , were kitbashes. Among the Federation classes that are designated 'kitbashes' are the Freedom, Springfield, ''Cheyenne''-classes and the proto-Nebula. Several of these vessels were built for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, including the Centaur, Curry and ''Yeager''-types. Kitbashing is a common method for creating studio models in sci-fi. In addition to designs seen on screen, non-canon Star Trek games feature kitbashed designs. Break-Away Model A behind the scenes term used for models specifically built for on-screen destruction. Models of this kind are typically built for destruction scenes, when it is felt that a convincing destruction can not be achieved through various procedures in post-production, like matting stock footage of explosions over shots of studio models and when it is deemed that the master models are too valuable for destruction. Normally built at a smaller scale with lighter materials and constructed in such a way that debris will fly off easily, these models are packed with pyrotechnics to be detonated at the directors will. Normal procedure is that the models are suspended from the ceiling and that shots are taken by a high speed camera directly underneath, to emulate normal dispersion of explosions. Typically several models are made in order to have the best shot possible. Break-away models for Star Trek included the Miranda class ( ), the Galaxy class ( ) and both versions of the Borg cube ( and ). See also * Model, the in-universe definition of a model * ''Star Trek'' model kits * AMT, a manufacturer of Star Trek-based model kits that ended up being used in Star Trek production * Polar Lights, another Star Trek-based model kit producer * List of studio model/prop designers and builders de:Liste der wiederverwendeten Schiffsmodelle it:Modello scenico Category:Star Trek